The proposals for aerial vehicles have multiplied in recent years.
Among these is the device designed by the Australian manufacturer AMSL Aero.
Called "Vertiia", this small electric plane can run on both battery and hydrogen.
It is a VTOL, that is to say an airplane capable of landing and taking off vertically, like a helicopter.
It should be operational in 2024 as an air ambulance.
Vertiia was developed by the University of Sydney and Mission Systems, a company specializing in autonomous vehicles.
The prototype is also supported by the Australian government, which has invested $ 3 million in the project.
AMSL Aero has signed an agreement with CareFlight, a charitable organization that provides aero-medical services.
Thanks to its ability to land and take off in confined spaces and its high speed of movement, Vertiia should be used as a flying ambulance capable of quickly reaching distant and inaccessible places in Australia.
An ambulance flying at 300 km / h
The VTOL is equipped with eight electric rotors, coupled to two outer carbon fiber shafts.
The first shaft is positioned at the rear of the cab and the other at the front, each with four rotors.
This design allows the Vertiia to take off and land vertically.
Once a sufficient height is reached, it switches to flight mode and the rotors change position.
Its manufacturers indicate that having eight engines allows the aircraft to guarantee greater reliability, because it can continue to fly in the event of one of the engines failing.
AMSL Aero announces a movement speed of 300 km / h in flight mode.
Although the vehicle is currently presented with a pilot, the ultimate objective is to offer an autonomous vehicle, capable of going automatically to the scene of an incident.
Autonomy multiplied by 4
When presented in November 2020, Vertiia's first prototype was only able to fly a distance of 250 km on batteries.
However, AMSL Aero has announced that the vehicle will now be able to fly a distance of 1,000 km using hydrogen fuel cells.
This new version can carry one pilot and four passengers, for a total transportable mass of 500 kg.
The pandemic has delayed the deployment of the device, but its development continues.
At present, AMSL Aero hopes to start production of the VTOL in 2024.
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